Centrifugal-pump impeller



June 24, 1930. a. FERGUSON CENTRIFUGAL PUMP IMPELLER Filed March 10, 192'! I gmnntoc 6, L zfaaom Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED-'I-STATES PATENT OFFICE .GALE L.

FERGUSON, OF MUNGIE, INDIANA, ASSIGNbR,

BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

cEiI'rnmUeAL-ruMr mrnLLEit" I Application am March 10, 1927. Serial No. 174,251.

This invention relates to centrifugal pumps and more particularly to an improved impeller for pumps of this type.

r This invention has'for one of its objects to provide an impeller of this character which shall be provided in its peripheral portions with slots or buckets of such contour as to permit the water to enter them with the greatest of freedom and to obviate the formation of cross currents in the channel of the casing in which they travel, whereby to effect an increase in the gallona'ge and pressure without correspondingly increasing the power consumption.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the nature'of which will become apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists of the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken on a plane extending vertically and centrallythrough acentrifugal pump equipped with an impeller embodylng my invention,

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the vertical plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the 80 horizontal planes indicated by the line 33 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a fragmentary portion of-the impeller.

Referring numerals, 1 designates the base, 2 the casing, 3 the rings, 4 the cover plate, 5 the impeller and 6 the shaft of the pump. The casing 2 is provided with an inlet 7 and an outlet 8, and with a peripheral channel 9 which connects the inlet with the outlet. The rings 3 have a snug fit in the casing 2, and are held firmly in place by which is keyed to the shaft 6 and has its peripheral portion positioned in the channel 9, rotates between the rings 3 with aslight clearance. I

The impeller 5 is provided in its peripheral portion with alternately arranged slots or buckets 10 and 11 which open out through the 50 periphery thereof. The buckets 10 Open out to the drawing by reference the cover plate 4. The impeller 5,

also through one side of the impeller 5, and the buckets 11 open out also through the 0pposite side of the impeller. The axial dimension of the buckets 10 and 11 is slightly less than the corresponding dimension of the impeller 5. The bottom walls 10 and 11 of the buckets 10 and 11, are concave and extend from the periphery of the impeller to the sides thereof. The leading walls 10 of the buckets 10 and the correspondin walls 11" of the buckets 11 incline forwar ly with respect to the axis of rotation of the impeller 5, and said walls are inclined throughout their entire axial dimension. The front radial corners 10 of the buckets 10 and the corresponding corners 11 of the bucket-s 11 are rounded. The following walls 10 of the buckets 10 and the similar walls 11 of the buckets 11, lie in radial planes including the axis of rotation of the impeller 5. Thus it will be seen that the buckets 10 and 11 are so arranged that their rear walls, 10 and 11, respectively, are on radii of the impeller 5.

, As the front walls of the buckets 10 and 11 are forwardly inclined and as the front radial corners thereof are round, the water enters the buckets with the greatest of freedom and in the manner suggested by the arrows in Figure 3. As the buckets 10 and 11 are alternately arranged and have concave bottom walls that extend respectively from adjacent one side to the other of the impeller 5, and as the alternate buckets open out through opposite sides of the lmpeller, the water leaves the buckets in manner to prevent the formation of cross currents in the channel 9 and as suggested by the arrows in Figure 2. The pull against the water comes on the rear walls of the buckets 10 and 11, and as said walls lie in radial planes including the axis of rotation of the impeller 5, the utmost pull against the water is attained.

From the foregoing and the accompanying drawing, it will be apparent that the buckets 10and 11 are of such contour that no cross currents wilt be generated inthe channel 9, that the water enters the buckets with the minimum of friction. and that the utmost driving force is exerted on the water by the rear walls of the buckets, with the result that increased gallonage and pressure, coupled .with lower power consumption, are attained. It will also be apparent that as no radius of the impeller 5 passes through the rear wall 1O or 11 of any of the buckets 10 and 11, there is no hooking action on the Water wh ch hooking action, as is Well understood, 1ncreases the power consumption. It will be understood, of course, that, while the ideal construction is one in which a plane normal to the axis of the impeller will cut the front and rear walls of each bucket in exactly parallel lines, slight variations from the exact parallel may be allowed; but such variations must not be so great as to cause the front wall of any bucket to include a radius of the impeller.

It should be understood that the drawing is merely illustrative and does not pretend to give exact proportions. Furthermore, the said drawing is illustrative of a preferred construction, it being my expectation that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What is claimed is 1. A rotary pump impeller provided with buckets opening out through the periphery and having forwardly inclined front walls, alternate buckets opening out through opposite sides of the impeller, and each of said buckets being of constant peripheral Width throughout its radial depth.

2. A rotary pump impeller provided with buckets opening out through the periphery and sides thereof and having forwardly inclined front walls and rounded forward radial corners.

3. A rotary pump impeller provided with I buckets opening out through the periphery and a side thereof and having their front Walls inclined forwardly with respect to the axis of rotation and their rear walls arranged parallel to said axis.

rotary pump impeller provided with buckets opening out through the periphery thereof and having their front walls inclined forwardly with respect to the axis of I rotation and their rear walls arranged parallel to said axis, alternate buckets opening -out through opposite sides of the impeller.

rotary pump impeller provided with buckets opening out through the periphery thereof, the buckets having concave bottom walls and having their front walls inclined forwardly with respect to the axis of rotation and their rear walls arranged parallel to said. axis, the forward radial corners of the buckets being round and alternate buckets opening out throughopposite sides of the impeller. v

6. A rotary pump impeller provided with buckets opening through its periphery, each of said buckets being of constant peripheral width throughout its radial depth.

7. A rotary pump impeller provided with buckets opening through its periphery, alternate ones of said buckets openlng also GALE L. FERGUSON. 

